Track for sliding doors.



(No Model.)

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` Patented Sept. l0, I9UI. A. J. RICKER.

RACK FOR SLIDING DOUBS.

(Application filed Apr. 13, 1901.)

Uwrrnn Srares Farnnrr Orrick..

ADOLPH J. RIOKER, OF SOUTH MILVAUKEE, WISOONSN, ASSIGNOR TO STOXVELLMANUFACTURING & FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TRACK FOR SLIDING DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,427, datedSeptember 10, 1901.

Application tiled April 13, 1901. Serial No. 55,605. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADOLPH J. RICKER, residing at South Milwaukee, inthe county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Tracks ior Sliding Doors, of which the followingis a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which are a part of this specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in tracks adapted for the supportand travel thereon of doors in buildings.

' The object of the invention is chiel-ly to provide a track havingmeans by which the track can be adjusted vertically either to aline itin horizontal position or to such desirable position as is required forproperly supporting the door or doors that are to travel thereon.

The invention consists of the track, including the adjusting devices andtheir combinations, as herein described and claimed, or the equivalentsthereof.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved track, thetrack being l broken away and parts being omitted for convenience ofillustration. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of so much of the track andrelated devices as is shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail of devices foractuating and controlling the means for raising and lowering and therebyadjusting the track. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the devices shownin Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail of the means employed for raising andlowering the track. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the devices shown inFig. 5, the track and the connecting-rod being in section. Fig. 7 isadetail of atrack-supporting bracket.

In the drawings, l represents a joist or analogous part of a building orframe on which the track is shown as supported.

` My improved track is more commonly employed with two sliding doorsthat when closed come together edge to edge at the vertical center of adoorway, and I have therefore shown my invention as consisting of tworails forming a track, which two rails 2 2 overlap each other at theirabutting ends and are pivoted on a bracket 3, so as to be capable ofswinging on that pivotal point vertically. The bracket is to be securedto the joist or any analogous support. At a distance from the pivotalsupport of these rails forming the track each rail is provided with oneor more devices for supporting and raising and lowering the rail. In thedrawings each rail is shown as provided with a cam 4, which is in thegeneral form of a curved or bent swinging arm, one extremity ot' whichis pivoted to the rail 2 and the otherextremity of which has a lowercurved edge eccentric to its pivotal point, forming a cam, which rest-son a horizontal ledge 5, which is a part of a bracket 6, which bracketis adapted to be secured to a suitable support and in the drawings isshown as secured to the joist l. The cam 4 at its pivotal extremity isadvisably made in the form of a hub 7, and apin 8 passes through therail 2, the hub 7, and through a vertical slot 9 therefor in the bracket6. The bracket 6 is offset niedially from its plane of support,providing room for a washer' l0 on the bolt 8 at the under side of thebracket, the construction being such that the bolt ca-n slide verticallyin the slot 9. When a rail 2 is of such length as to require it, one ormore additional cams 1l are provided at greater distances from thepivotal bracket 3 than the cam 4. These more distant cams ll are eachmounted on the rail 2 and in a bracket 6, substantially as the cam 4 ismounted, and each has a curved eccentric edge substantiallylike thecurved eccentric edge in cam 4, except that on these more distant camsll the cam has eccentricity of greater length, whereby it is adapted tocorrespondingly raise or lower the rail 2 at its correspondingly greaterdistance from the pivotal bracket 3, to which the rail is pivoted. Inthe drawings only one additional cam ll is shown in connection with eachrail 2; but others may be employed, it desired.

For swinging the cam 4, whereby the rail 2 is raised or lowered, the camis connected medially by a rod l2 to one arm of a bellcrank lever 13,aXled at its angle on the track 2, the other arin of which belLcrank isprovided with a slot into which a stud-pin projects, which stud-pin isfixed on a block 14, which block is fitted to travel vertically in aslot therefor in bracket 15, the bracket being IOO Veniently rotatingit.

adapted to be secured to a fixed support, which, as shown in thedrawings, may be the joist l. A screw 16, rev'oluble but non-movableendwise in bearings therefor in ears on the bracket 15, turns by itsthread through the block 14, whereby the block can be raised and loweredin the bracket. The screw 13 is provided with a stern 17, having adriver recess or cut in its end transversely for con- The cam 4' isconnected to the cam 1l by a rod 18, a continuation of rod l2, wherebythe cams 4 and 11 are moved concurrently by the tilting ot the bellcrank13. It additional cams are employed similar to cams 4 and l1, they areto be connected by similar rods, so as to be adapted to be actuatedhomogeneousl'y.

It will be observed that each rail 2 is pivoted at one extremity to afixed support'and that-the cams 4 and-11 are so mounted and connected tothe rail that they are adapted when swung to raise or lower the distantend of the rail andl correspondingly its intermediate parts. It willalso be noted that in the drawings two rails are shown forming a continnous track, which rails overlap each other at their abutting ends andhave a common pivot. This is a desirable construction in those-instanceswhere two folding doors are employed-Which close together against eachother centrally of thedoorway. In such form of construction of thevtrack the track devices,including the bell-cranks 13 for actuating thecams 4 and 1l for raising or lowering the track, are located near theabutting pivoted extremities of the rails 2 2, so as to 'be' readilyaccessible for adjusting the rails.

Thecam 4 and also the cani 1l are both desirable on each rail, the camsto be so located that .when the door is slid back or open the camswillbe directly under the two wheels of the-hangers on the door, assliding doors are usually mounted with two wheels each.

What I-claim as my invention isz--` l. A track for a sliding door,comprising a rail pivoted at one extremityon a fixed support, a campivoted on the rail at a distance from said pivotal support, a bracketprovided with a ledge on whichA the cam rests, a bellcrank pivoted onthe rail and connected to said cam, and means for tilting thebell-crank.

2. In combination, a track-rail adapted to be pivoted and therebysupported at one end, a bracket provided with a ledge, a cam pivoted onthe rail at a distance from its pivotal point and adapted to beareccentrically on said ledge, and means for actuating and holding saidcam.

In combination, a track-rail adapted to be pivoted and thereby supportedat one end, a bracket provided with a ledge, a cam pivoted on the railat a distance from its pivotal point and adapted to bear eccentricallyon said ledge, a bell-crank pivoted on said rail, a bracket adapted tobe secured to a fixed support, a screw rotatable but non-movable endwisein said bracket, a block on and movable by the'thread of the screw andprovided with a pin that enters a slot in one arm of said bell-crank,and a rod connecting the other arm of said bell-crank to said cam.

4. In combination, a track-rail adapted .to be pivoted and therebysupported at one end, a bracket provided with a ledge and a slot, a campivoted on the rail at a distance from its pivotal point and adapted tobear eccentrically on said ledge its pivot being movable in said slot insaid bracket, and means for actuating and holding said cam.

` 5. In combination, a track, comprising two rails abutting ends ot'which are pivoted on a common pivot, swinging cams pivoted on the railsat a distance from the pivotal point of the rails, brackets havingledges on which the cams rest and slots in which the pivots of the camsare movable, bell-cranks pivoted on the rails near their .pivotalextremities, rods connecting the cams to the bell-cranks, revolublescrews non-movable endwise,and blocks on the screws and provided withpins entering slots therefor' in the bell-cranks.

ln testimony whereof I affix' my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH J. RICKER.

Witnesses:

G. C. WEGNER, RANDOLPH KNoLL.

